With development of the all-new 2015 Mustang well underway, the car’s component set—or more precisely, part of its component set—has activated interest in a rear-wheel-drive platform to underpin a Lincoln sedan.

We’ve learned that Ford is contemplating a new four-door platform using the next Mustang’s MacPherson front and new independent rear suspension (spy photos of the new rear setup here) as its basis, along with some of the pony car’s larger underbody stampings. With the manufacturer time and again stating its commitment to the wayward Lincoln brand, moving forward with rear-drive plans would allow the blue oval to back up its words with something of substance. Indeed, key folks in Lincoln’s planning and design departments are on the prowl for rear-drive products that can go head-to-head with Cadillac and other serious luxury makes. There are three possibilities, as outlined below.

A Series of Vacuums in the Lineup

Compared to key competitors Cadillac and Lexus, the current Lincoln range shows a number of empty spaces. The most obvious missing product is an entry-level luxury performance sedan, a segment contested by Cadillac with the new ATS and by Lexus with the IS. There are those within Ford who believe that the 2013 MKZ with its optional AWD is a player in this segment; these may be the same people who thought the Ford SVT Contour was a BMW 3-series competitor. Make no mistake, while the MKZ is well-positioned enough to go mano a mano with the soft Lexus ES, it lacks the street cred to play in the same sandbox with the 3-series, ATS, Infiniti G, Audi A4, or Mercedes-Benz C-class.

The next void in Lincoln’s offerings isn’t so much a hole as it is a misaligned product: the MKS sedan. Essentially a re-skinned Taurus with a snazzier interior, the MKS has never found footing in a segment populated by harder-running cars such as the Cadillac CTS, BMW 5-series, Lexus GS, Infiniti M, and Mercedes E-class. In 2011, Lincoln sold just 12,217 examples of the MKS. For comparison, Cadillac moved more than 55,000 CTS models during the same period—it was the second-highest seller among its competition. Although station wagons and coupes factor into the CTS totals, it’s nevertheless true that Lincoln sold just 22 percent of what Cadillac did in this profitable segment. While it wouldn’t guarantee success—execution would key that metric—a rear-wheel-drive entry from Lincoln might allow the brand to close the gap. On paper, the current MKS looks to be better positioned to challenge Cadillac’s XTS anyway, and a new RWD mid-sizer would free the MKS up to serve as the cushy techno-cruiser it really wants to be.

2015 Ford Mustang independent rear suspension

The third and most obvious hole in the Lincoln range calls for a brand-defining large car. With only two sedans in Lincoln’s rudderless lineup, a vehicle like this may be even more important for the brand than it is for Cadillac. Unfortunately, this would be a hefty stretch for the Mustang chassis and underbody components being evaluated by Ford. While the engines, gearboxes, differential, and rear-suspension geometry could be poached from the 2015 Mustang, a car with the proper dimensions (think 16 feet long, or more) would force significant reengineering and retooling of many of the sports car’s components.

If the new RWD sedan underpinnings are approved, of these three cars, the smart money has Ford going with the CTS/5-series competitor. Still, even with a green light, there still will be some significant drivetrain work to be done.

Complications: One Technical, the Other Managerial

Looking at the mid-luxury-sedan landscape, pretty much every product offers optional all-wheel drive (with the ironic exception of the Ford-planned and -developed Jaguar XF, although it will add the tech in the next couple of years). Packaging and engineering an AWD system for the Mustang-derived architecture will be a big upfront challenge to getting the model approved. History has shown that luxury sedans become virtually salesproof throughout the Northeast, Midwest, and in the Rockies from November through April if they don’t offer all-wheel drive. This makes development of AWD a gilt-edged priority.

Even if such a model is approved, rides on rear-drive bones, and offers all-wheel drive, perhaps the biggest roadblock to a Lincoln performance sedan is the blue oval itself. The Ford brand is a sponge when it comes to product, and, if such a vehicle is approved, the Ford executives will want a version, citing immediate volume realization and commensurate quick economic payoff. But despite those things, and regardless of how well a Ford version might take the fight to the upcoming Chevrolet SS sedan, it is essential that the product be Lincoln’s and Lincoln’s alone.

With initially low sales volumes and relatively high variable cost to produce the Lincoln performance luxury sedan, it likely will take two product generations to see meaningful returns. If Ford isn’t willing to wait the decade it’s going to take to revitalize Lincoln the right way, it should probably just fold its luxury brand now and save itself the inevitable “death of a thousand cuts” fate that awaits any carmaker that expects to redeem a brand in 60 months on the cheap.